The kids have been re-watching season 2 of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
I was jiggling the baby the other day and attempting to sing the William Tell Overture.
I kept getting it wrong and then realized I was singing the Dudley Do-Right theme song.
So I found the William Tell on YouTube and got the kids to listen to it a couple of times.
Which put me in mind of that other Rossini classic, The Barber of Seville, so I found that.
Which, of course, made me think of Bugs Bunny. I found Rabbit of Seville.
Which led to the wagnerian What's Opera Doc.
Full circle to old cartoons.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Boys just home from the dentist
DS2 has a cavity.
DS1 has a referral to an orthodontist due to crowded teeth.
SIGH.
DS1 has a referral to an orthodontist due to crowded teeth.
SIGH.
Big fat Isabelle - and a PICTURE
She weighed 8 lbs 14 oz as of early this afternoon. That's a 20 ounce gain in 14 days.
Told you she was getting chubbier :)
I need one of those t-shirts that says, "I make milk. What's your superpower?"
And I know that I am a bad, bad person and an even worse mother. So you don't have to tell me that when I try new clothes on my baby and get this reaction:
that it shouldn't make me giggle.
I think it's just the urge to say "She really LIKES it!" that makes me giggle. That and the cheerful smiles on DH's and DS2's faces. I don't laugh so much at the actual crying, I promise.
It's too big for her - obviously - but the matching diaper (sorry - nappy, since it's a British set from Tiddlybums) and cover set fit fine when snapped snugly. Thank you again, Kirsty! And Jeanette, who made it, presumably back when K had a tiny baby girl. International hand-me-downs! :)
Told you she was getting chubbier :)
I need one of those t-shirts that says, "I make milk. What's your superpower?"
And I know that I am a bad, bad person and an even worse mother. So you don't have to tell me that when I try new clothes on my baby and get this reaction:
that it shouldn't make me giggle.
I think it's just the urge to say "She really LIKES it!" that makes me giggle. That and the cheerful smiles on DH's and DS2's faces. I don't laugh so much at the actual crying, I promise.
It's too big for her - obviously - but the matching diaper (sorry - nappy, since it's a British set from Tiddlybums) and cover set fit fine when snapped snugly. Thank you again, Kirsty! And Jeanette, who made it, presumably back when K had a tiny baby girl. International hand-me-downs! :)
Monday, March 24, 2008
Isabelle update
She's going bald. Bald-ER, I should say. When I rub my hand across the top of her head, it comes away with little downy hairs. It doesn't seem to be coming off the sides so much, just off the already mostly bald top. If she had more on the sides, I'd do a little comb-over, but it's too short for that.
She's also filling out her skin and losing the wrinkly dried-out look she's had since the start. She's got the start of a little double chin, too :) My boys were never very chubby, so I'm not expecting that, but it's nice that her arms and legs don't look so much like sticks anymore.
The midwives are visiting tomorrow and will weigh her, then there will be scientific proof that she's growing.
She is making eye contact better all the time. She'll really spend time looking at people at least as much if not more than random objects around here. She still stares at lights and random objects, but is getting more interested in people, I guess is the best way to say it. For the last week or so, she also will sometimes give me a half smile if she's in a good mood and I'm grinning right in her face.
Her eyes are definitely brown. I got my blue eyes from my mom (and a blue-eye gene from my dad, though his are brown), and passed them on to DS2 in the same way, but right from the beginning, DD's eyes have been much too dark for me to even entertain the thought that they would be blue.
You're myyyyy brown-eyed girl. Do you remember when we used to sing - sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-dee-dah (just like that)?
Just be glad you don't have to hear me sing in real life. My poor kids. Don't call children's services on me, please. I can carry a tune with two hands and a bucket.
She's also filling out her skin and losing the wrinkly dried-out look she's had since the start. She's got the start of a little double chin, too :) My boys were never very chubby, so I'm not expecting that, but it's nice that her arms and legs don't look so much like sticks anymore.
The midwives are visiting tomorrow and will weigh her, then there will be scientific proof that she's growing.
She is making eye contact better all the time. She'll really spend time looking at people at least as much if not more than random objects around here. She still stares at lights and random objects, but is getting more interested in people, I guess is the best way to say it. For the last week or so, she also will sometimes give me a half smile if she's in a good mood and I'm grinning right in her face.
Her eyes are definitely brown. I got my blue eyes from my mom (and a blue-eye gene from my dad, though his are brown), and passed them on to DS2 in the same way, but right from the beginning, DD's eyes have been much too dark for me to even entertain the thought that they would be blue.
You're myyyyy brown-eyed girl. Do you remember when we used to sing - sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-dee-dah (just like that)?
Just be glad you don't have to hear me sing in real life. My poor kids. Don't call children's services on me, please. I can carry a tune with two hands and a bucket.
Enya update - not ethereal new age music
She's doing very well, healthy and happy and drooling on herself. She is only 3 or 4 months old after all.
My mom forwarded some Easter pictures from Jennifer and she's looking great :) I'd post a picture if J gave me permission.
original post about her is here.
My mom forwarded some Easter pictures from Jennifer and she's looking great :) I'd post a picture if J gave me permission.
original post about her is here.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter! (and PICTURES)
Since we're not religious, Easter's not a big deal in our house. The kids got really wrapped up in the hype aspect of it starting yesterday and built the backyard egg hunt up to epic proportions, so I think it was a bit of a letdown for them when I finally went and hid the eggs (after getting DD down for a nap) and they got to go search for them.
It was fun, but they wanted something MORE than dying eggs last night, an egg hunt, a chocolate bunny, and a Magic Grow Egg that won't even hatch until tomorrow or the next day.
Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of DD enjoying her new bouncy seat, courtesy of a gift card from my neighborhood coop book group. (Thank you again!). I also got some little dresses and a Thomas the Tank Engine outfit in size 12 months (she has big brothers who have a LOT of trains, after all) from the clearance rack, plus the egg dye and magic grow eggs for the boys.
She's fairly happy in her seat, especially if it is bouncing. I forgot to get C batteries at the store yesterday, so I don't know how well the music and vibration things will help for those times that I am trying to get something done and have to put her down for just five minutes and would you please just stop screaming????
The boys enjoy getting right in her face and shaking and bouncing her. I try to keep them in my line of sight when they're doing it, because they still haven't fully grasped the concept of "gentle", but they are generally really good with her.
It was fun, but they wanted something MORE than dying eggs last night, an egg hunt, a chocolate bunny, and a Magic Grow Egg that won't even hatch until tomorrow or the next day.
Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of DD enjoying her new bouncy seat, courtesy of a gift card from my neighborhood coop book group. (Thank you again!). I also got some little dresses and a Thomas the Tank Engine outfit in size 12 months (she has big brothers who have a LOT of trains, after all) from the clearance rack, plus the egg dye and magic grow eggs for the boys.
She's fairly happy in her seat, especially if it is bouncing. I forgot to get C batteries at the store yesterday, so I don't know how well the music and vibration things will help for those times that I am trying to get something done and have to put her down for just five minutes and would you please just stop screaming????
The boys enjoy getting right in her face and shaking and bouncing her. I try to keep them in my line of sight when they're doing it, because they still haven't fully grasped the concept of "gentle", but they are generally really good with her.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Countdown
"forty-three
forty-two
forty-one
forty-zero
forty-uh-thirty-uh-nine, eight"
DS2 is watching the microwave as it cooks our corn.
forty-two
forty-one
forty-zero
forty-uh-thirty-uh-nine, eight"
DS2 is watching the microwave as it cooks our corn.
Isabelle's Birth Story
Finally getting around to it....
My due date was Feb 25th - or maybe 24th or maybe 26th, depending on whose little dial-calendar thing we were looking at or which website or whatever. My periods aren't exactly regular but I was pretty sure of when I ovulated.
So anyway, in the vein of "expect it when you least expect it, Laatsch" (what that idiot said when he threatened my brother in high school), I figured that I would go to term, having done so with my other two kids. So the 24th I had a bunch of crampy contractions, which sometime settled into a pattern and sometimes didn't. I told DH that we would have the baby that day or within the next couple of days. I had a whole day of false labor with DS2, way back 5 years ago, and then had him two days later, so I wasn't holding my breath this time. Anyway, the contractions eased off and I went to bed.
Oh, here's my belly after the baby had dropped. Yikes.
So my due date, Monday the 25th, I had some crampy braxton-hicks and a few minor contractions over the course of the day. I went and picked the kids up from school, and reveled in the joy of telling people I was due that day. I forgot the kids' karate gear and there's not time to go home for it and get back before their class, so we went to DS2's buddy's house. I sat and talked to the buddy's mom, my friend M, and had a minor contraction or two over the course of a couple of hours. I figured I had another day or two. (insert ominous foreshadowing music here - dah-dah-duunnnnn)
Not long after we got home, I had a few more crampy contractions, ate dinner and went to lie down and read a book. I don't remember the details, but it seems that it was a typical evening. DH had been getting the boys to bed more often since I was permanently exhausted (I'm too old for this). At one point, they were both in my room, DS1 was reading "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" out loud to DS2. I was having uncomfortable contractions fairly spread out. I figured they'd stop, since they weren't anything major. (dah-dah-duunnnnn)
So at about 10:30, I figured I couldn't keep track in my head, so started jotting the times down on the back of a receipt. Ah, about every 8 minutes. Regularly. Hmmmm.... Nah, couldn't possibly be labor. I'm tired and want to sleep.
I turned off the light and turned on my color-change cube so I could keep writing down times, though of course the contractions were going to stop for the night, right?
By about 11:30, the contractions were every 4 or 5 minutes, though every other one was just a twinge, so they didn't really count, right?
I got up again a bit before midnight because I wasn't sleeping anyway and if I got up and moved around, this false labor would stop, right? And I'd get a good night's sleep and have the baby the next day, right? Right? After all, my boys were both born at fairly civilized times - about 7 pm and about 1:30 pm. So this baby would be too, right? (dah-dah-duunnnnn)
So I posted to my blog at 11:54 pm, still saying "maybe" and dithering about waking the kids and sending them to a friend's house or trying to do this quietly.
At about 12:30 I gave in. Contractions - real ones - every 4 minutes. I called the midwife ("MW1"), who had just gone to bed, poor thing, and said that this was it. I rousted DH out of bed (which took some doing), whoi had just gone to bed, poor thing #2. I then realized that I hadn't ask if MW1 was going to call her partner midwife ("MW2"), but was busy remaking the bed with waterproof sheets under the regular ones, making sure all the supplies were gathered together, boiling the scissors, and having contractions every 4 minutes.
I made DH bring in the birthing tub that had been sitting in the garage for a couple of weeks. He hooked up the hoses, but we didn't start to fill it. It was lucky that I didn't, because MW2 arrived and realized that MW1 had said something about leaving the old hoses with the new instructions and we would have used an old empty-ing hose to fill and would have to empty it and sterilize it and start all over. MW1 arrived at about this time.
So anyway, MW2 asked if I wanted her to check my dilation before I got in the tub and I figured yeah why not? because this was probably false labor and my contractions had started coming less often in the hubbub of getting things ready and the midwives arriving. So I was probably going to have to send them home, right? (dah-dah-duunnnnn)
Dilated to 8. Um, probably the real thing.
It was only then, sitting on the edge of the bed with the tub filling that I realized that this gray birthing tub was one of these:
For those of you uninitiated (like me), that's a Rubbermaid livestock trough. I think it was the 150 gallon one. MW1 bought it at the feed store.
Whinny
Awaaaay in a manger
Right. Probably about 2 am by that time. Ah, found the notes in my folder - 2:08 am. So I got the rest of my clothes off and hopped in. Nice, warm water, contractions fairly far apart, chatting with the MWs and DH, a bit giddy, but about ready to take a nap, actually.
The contractions started getting harder, though still fairly far apart. so I had to get on my knees through them and grunt and moan a bit - still conscious of not wanting to wake the boys.
I would have a hard contraction and my head would be spinning and all I wanted to do was fall asleeeeeeep. All of this characterized by my inability to understand what anyone said to me without multiple repetitions.
I have no idea of the passage of time in all this and am relying on the MWs' notes. The MWs would every so often listen to the baby's heartbeat. MW1 took a short nap on my bed.
At 3:11, I felt my waters break. It wasn't the huge balloon feeling that I had with my boys, but I felt it happen. I guess the baby's head plugged the hole right away. At about that time, I just wanted it to be over and complained that I wanted to go to sleep.
At 3:14, I felt the baby start to come down. I wasn't really that I felt like pushing, I just was. From there, it was one long contraction, almost, as she slid right down and there was this really bad, sharp pain in the front of my uterus, down about where it meets the cervix, I am guessing.
At 3:22, I could feel the baby crowning and told them so. MW2 stuck her arm in the pool and said, "oh, there's her head" just as the contraction surged and the head popped out, then a couple seconds (with MW2 saying "don't push!" but I wasn't actively pushing, honest), shoulders, and then whoosh all done.
8 minutes of pushing. New world record, if I do say so myself.
MW2 sort of floated her like a submarine between my legs and I pulled her up out of the water. They don't breathe until they clear the water. Babies are smart. The cord made it harder to get a good hold on her, all slippery with white vernix goop and water and amniotic fluid and some smears of blood. After a couple minutes and a couple APGAR checks (8 and 9), I stood up and they helped me climb out and dry off and waddle to the bed with disposable pads under me.
DH called my mom about them because it was 6:30 in her time zone. I guess I talked to her, too. I have no idea what I said. Then he called his mom because it was afternoon in her time zone. I have even less idea if I talked to her and what I said. I just wanted to go to sleep.
About 20 minutes later, I delivered the placenta and they tied off and cut the cord. Isabelle finally got serious about latching on and nursing.
An hour after the birth, I asked DH to make me some toast. I wasn't really that hungry, I just wanted to go to sleep.
At 4:45, the midwives did all the reflex and heart and everything checks. They had each brought their own scale and the weights didn't match. DH went and found our hand weights and they finally decided on 7 lbs 8 oz.
I heard a kid at the door, but DS2 took off back down the hall and locked his bedroom door. He doesn't remember it. DS1 then came in and saw the baby. He would later insist that that was when she was born because that's when she was crying - he just hadn't heard her earlier. He stayed for a few minutes, then I told him to go back to sleep. I just wanted to go to sleep.
They had the exit hose emptying the tub and it stopped for whatever reason, then it took a few minutes to get it started again. I just wanted to go to sleep.
Here's my gray skin and almost-closed eyes holding the baby burrito:
At 5:20, I got up and took a shower, feeling tired, but otherwise strong. DS1 came back in and I told him that he needed to sleep some more. At 5:30, they pulled out the sheet of postpartum instructions and went over them with us. I just wanted to go to sleep.
So I went to sleep.
I have a hazy recollection of the midwives saying goodbye and talking about how they would get home just in time to get their kids up.
DH got up at 7 to get the boys ready for school. I called the friend who gives them a ride sometimes and got up long enough to wave goodbye and spend a couple of minutes sending a mass email and posting to my blog. Then DH and Isabelle and I all slept until early afternoon.
And here she is when we woke up:
Isabelle Helene, born 2/26/08 at 3:22 AM, weighed 7 lbs 8 oz, 21 inches long.
My due date was Feb 25th - or maybe 24th or maybe 26th, depending on whose little dial-calendar thing we were looking at or which website or whatever. My periods aren't exactly regular but I was pretty sure of when I ovulated.
So anyway, in the vein of "expect it when you least expect it, Laatsch" (what that idiot said when he threatened my brother in high school), I figured that I would go to term, having done so with my other two kids. So the 24th I had a bunch of crampy contractions, which sometime settled into a pattern and sometimes didn't. I told DH that we would have the baby that day or within the next couple of days. I had a whole day of false labor with DS2, way back 5 years ago, and then had him two days later, so I wasn't holding my breath this time. Anyway, the contractions eased off and I went to bed.
Oh, here's my belly after the baby had dropped. Yikes.
So my due date, Monday the 25th, I had some crampy braxton-hicks and a few minor contractions over the course of the day. I went and picked the kids up from school, and reveled in the joy of telling people I was due that day. I forgot the kids' karate gear and there's not time to go home for it and get back before their class, so we went to DS2's buddy's house. I sat and talked to the buddy's mom, my friend M, and had a minor contraction or two over the course of a couple of hours. I figured I had another day or two. (insert ominous foreshadowing music here - dah-dah-duunnnnn)
Not long after we got home, I had a few more crampy contractions, ate dinner and went to lie down and read a book. I don't remember the details, but it seems that it was a typical evening. DH had been getting the boys to bed more often since I was permanently exhausted (I'm too old for this). At one point, they were both in my room, DS1 was reading "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" out loud to DS2. I was having uncomfortable contractions fairly spread out. I figured they'd stop, since they weren't anything major. (dah-dah-duunnnnn)
So at about 10:30, I figured I couldn't keep track in my head, so started jotting the times down on the back of a receipt. Ah, about every 8 minutes. Regularly. Hmmmm.... Nah, couldn't possibly be labor. I'm tired and want to sleep.
I turned off the light and turned on my color-change cube so I could keep writing down times, though of course the contractions were going to stop for the night, right?
By about 11:30, the contractions were every 4 or 5 minutes, though every other one was just a twinge, so they didn't really count, right?
I got up again a bit before midnight because I wasn't sleeping anyway and if I got up and moved around, this false labor would stop, right? And I'd get a good night's sleep and have the baby the next day, right? Right? After all, my boys were both born at fairly civilized times - about 7 pm and about 1:30 pm. So this baby would be too, right? (dah-dah-duunnnnn)
So I posted to my blog at 11:54 pm, still saying "maybe" and dithering about waking the kids and sending them to a friend's house or trying to do this quietly.
At about 12:30 I gave in. Contractions - real ones - every 4 minutes. I called the midwife ("MW1"), who had just gone to bed, poor thing, and said that this was it. I rousted DH out of bed (which took some doing), whoi had just gone to bed, poor thing #2. I then realized that I hadn't ask if MW1 was going to call her partner midwife ("MW2"), but was busy remaking the bed with waterproof sheets under the regular ones, making sure all the supplies were gathered together, boiling the scissors, and having contractions every 4 minutes.
I made DH bring in the birthing tub that had been sitting in the garage for a couple of weeks. He hooked up the hoses, but we didn't start to fill it. It was lucky that I didn't, because MW2 arrived and realized that MW1 had said something about leaving the old hoses with the new instructions and we would have used an old empty-ing hose to fill and would have to empty it and sterilize it and start all over. MW1 arrived at about this time.
So anyway, MW2 asked if I wanted her to check my dilation before I got in the tub and I figured yeah why not? because this was probably false labor and my contractions had started coming less often in the hubbub of getting things ready and the midwives arriving. So I was probably going to have to send them home, right? (dah-dah-duunnnnn)
Dilated to 8. Um, probably the real thing.
It was only then, sitting on the edge of the bed with the tub filling that I realized that this gray birthing tub was one of these:
For those of you uninitiated (like me), that's a Rubbermaid livestock trough. I think it was the 150 gallon one. MW1 bought it at the feed store.
Whinny
Awaaaay in a manger
Right. Probably about 2 am by that time. Ah, found the notes in my folder - 2:08 am. So I got the rest of my clothes off and hopped in. Nice, warm water, contractions fairly far apart, chatting with the MWs and DH, a bit giddy, but about ready to take a nap, actually.
The contractions started getting harder, though still fairly far apart. so I had to get on my knees through them and grunt and moan a bit - still conscious of not wanting to wake the boys.
I would have a hard contraction and my head would be spinning and all I wanted to do was fall asleeeeeeep. All of this characterized by my inability to understand what anyone said to me without multiple repetitions.
I have no idea of the passage of time in all this and am relying on the MWs' notes. The MWs would every so often listen to the baby's heartbeat. MW1 took a short nap on my bed.
At 3:11, I felt my waters break. It wasn't the huge balloon feeling that I had with my boys, but I felt it happen. I guess the baby's head plugged the hole right away. At about that time, I just wanted it to be over and complained that I wanted to go to sleep.
At 3:14, I felt the baby start to come down. I wasn't really that I felt like pushing, I just was. From there, it was one long contraction, almost, as she slid right down and there was this really bad, sharp pain in the front of my uterus, down about where it meets the cervix, I am guessing.
At 3:22, I could feel the baby crowning and told them so. MW2 stuck her arm in the pool and said, "oh, there's her head" just as the contraction surged and the head popped out, then a couple seconds (with MW2 saying "don't push!" but I wasn't actively pushing, honest), shoulders, and then whoosh all done.
8 minutes of pushing. New world record, if I do say so myself.
MW2 sort of floated her like a submarine between my legs and I pulled her up out of the water. They don't breathe until they clear the water. Babies are smart. The cord made it harder to get a good hold on her, all slippery with white vernix goop and water and amniotic fluid and some smears of blood. After a couple minutes and a couple APGAR checks (8 and 9), I stood up and they helped me climb out and dry off and waddle to the bed with disposable pads under me.
DH called my mom about them because it was 6:30 in her time zone. I guess I talked to her, too. I have no idea what I said. Then he called his mom because it was afternoon in her time zone. I have even less idea if I talked to her and what I said. I just wanted to go to sleep.
About 20 minutes later, I delivered the placenta and they tied off and cut the cord. Isabelle finally got serious about latching on and nursing.
An hour after the birth, I asked DH to make me some toast. I wasn't really that hungry, I just wanted to go to sleep.
At 4:45, the midwives did all the reflex and heart and everything checks. They had each brought their own scale and the weights didn't match. DH went and found our hand weights and they finally decided on 7 lbs 8 oz.
I heard a kid at the door, but DS2 took off back down the hall and locked his bedroom door. He doesn't remember it. DS1 then came in and saw the baby. He would later insist that that was when she was born because that's when she was crying - he just hadn't heard her earlier. He stayed for a few minutes, then I told him to go back to sleep. I just wanted to go to sleep.
They had the exit hose emptying the tub and it stopped for whatever reason, then it took a few minutes to get it started again. I just wanted to go to sleep.
Here's my gray skin and almost-closed eyes holding the baby burrito:
At 5:20, I got up and took a shower, feeling tired, but otherwise strong. DS1 came back in and I told him that he needed to sleep some more. At 5:30, they pulled out the sheet of postpartum instructions and went over them with us. I just wanted to go to sleep.
So I went to sleep.
I have a hazy recollection of the midwives saying goodbye and talking about how they would get home just in time to get their kids up.
DH got up at 7 to get the boys ready for school. I called the friend who gives them a ride sometimes and got up long enough to wave goodbye and spend a couple of minutes sending a mass email and posting to my blog. Then DH and Isabelle and I all slept until early afternoon.
And here she is when we woke up:
Isabelle Helene, born 2/26/08 at 3:22 AM, weighed 7 lbs 8 oz, 21 inches long.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Bananas and Pictures
I had an email this morning (sent yesterday, now that I look at it). Another friend with a J name who had a baby. His wife did, rather - their second baby. This would be a fellow trumpeter from college, a fellow madrigal trumpeter, even. Funny guy, a bit wild (OK, way more than a bit), and now it turns out he's a math professor, which made me double up with hysterical laughter when I learned it, because as for someone who could not remind me less of my math professor dad, he would be it. Well, same hair color and both are tall, but otherwise, zip. Anyway, I am happy for him and his wife, who had nice big (just over 9 pound) boy whom they have named Colby.
First off, my big guy, who seems to avoid the camera a lot of the time, so pictures with the baby are mostly what we've gotten lately:
This is the same monkey boy who ate 7 bananas yesterday for morning snack (after 2 bowls of cheerios for breakfast), then sat at lunch and ate 2 pieces of leftover pizza and a handful of carrots and then said he had a bit of a stomachache. He was fine about 10 minutes later. SEVEN bananas. Talk about your growth spurts. Anyone know if that's going to constipate him?
Ah, and then the pink, flowery, girly baby.
And the tomboy baby look. That's a shirt I made and now I realize she doesn't have any pants that really go with it, so she has blue sweatpants on. Verra verra patriotic.
She's getting a bit more weight on her. She won't be weighed again for about another week, but I'm sure she's over 8 lbs now. Speaking of whom, I hear squawks.
And my other big guy
I have a few more baby pictures, but they're variations on a theme, after all, taken at the same time as these.
First off, my big guy, who seems to avoid the camera a lot of the time, so pictures with the baby are mostly what we've gotten lately:
This is the same monkey boy who ate 7 bananas yesterday for morning snack (after 2 bowls of cheerios for breakfast), then sat at lunch and ate 2 pieces of leftover pizza and a handful of carrots and then said he had a bit of a stomachache. He was fine about 10 minutes later. SEVEN bananas. Talk about your growth spurts. Anyone know if that's going to constipate him?
Ah, and then the pink, flowery, girly baby.
And the tomboy baby look. That's a shirt I made and now I realize she doesn't have any pants that really go with it, so she has blue sweatpants on. Verra verra patriotic.
She's getting a bit more weight on her. She won't be weighed again for about another week, but I'm sure she's over 8 lbs now. Speaking of whom, I hear squawks.
And my other big guy
I have a few more baby pictures, but they're variations on a theme, after all, taken at the same time as these.
Monday, March 17, 2008
three-week growth spurt?
I can't remember when babies generally have their growth spurts. 3 weeks and 6 weeks, maybe? DD ate like crazy yesterday and then slept like crazy today. And sure enough, she'll be 3 weeks tomorrow.
She slept all morning with only a couple of feeds. Slept until 3 pm after eating at about 11 am, and now has been awake except for accidentally dozing off a couple of times. I think she's ready to conk out now, though. I'd better go do something about the laundry and retrieve her from DH and put her to bed!
She slept all morning with only a couple of feeds. Slept until 3 pm after eating at about 11 am, and now has been awake except for accidentally dozing off a couple of times. I think she's ready to conk out now, though. I'd better go do something about the laundry and retrieve her from DH and put her to bed!
Doing some writing
What DS2 (5 1/2) typed in a Reader Rabbit game:
"wt hapn if i pres the button mab it will mab bring me sumwar or it wil giv me sum fod supr ucosvadiis."
(with spelling help on button and bring, plus added spaces) ("mab" is maybe and the last part is "food - supper of course, that is.")
How did my little guy get so good at writing?
*sniff*
"wt hapn if i pres the button mab it will mab bring me sumwar or it wil giv me sum fod supr ucosvadiis."
(with spelling help on button and bring, plus added spaces) ("mab" is maybe and the last part is "food - supper of course, that is.")
How did my little guy get so good at writing?
*sniff*
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Rules (uw under-wear)
1) No Wegys
2) No pulling down underwear
3) Have fun!
Underwear Camp - Boy's underwear camp - Boy's only!
2) No pulling down underwear
3) Have fun!
Underwear Camp - Boy's underwear camp - Boy's only!
Sunday hangin' around
Yesterday, I picked up 23 books from the library. When I got home, I checked and my account said there were 3 more, but I guess I missed them. They hold them for long enough that I'm not worried. I've finished one trashy book and am about 3/4ths through another.
I vacuumed the living room today. I was spurred along by the tortilla chip crumbs that the kids spread everywhere in copious amounts yesterday. Then they took the couch cushions off, so I could see just how awful the couch was under them. So anyway, it's mostly clean now. Probably needs to be mopped, but that's an awful lot to ask.
The boys have made a camp in DS1's room with lots of activities. It was a nudist camp, but I told them that was a bit much and to make it an underwear or pajama camp. So I have one in nothing but underwear and the other in PJ pants. They want to invite their friends. They posted rules now, but I haven't seen them yet. Mostly about not pulling down other peoples' underwear, I suppose.
OK, the baby was asleep, but now she's crying, so I will go see what I can do.
I vacuumed the living room today. I was spurred along by the tortilla chip crumbs that the kids spread everywhere in copious amounts yesterday. Then they took the couch cushions off, so I could see just how awful the couch was under them. So anyway, it's mostly clean now. Probably needs to be mopped, but that's an awful lot to ask.
The boys have made a camp in DS1's room with lots of activities. It was a nudist camp, but I told them that was a bit much and to make it an underwear or pajama camp. So I have one in nothing but underwear and the other in PJ pants. They want to invite their friends. They posted rules now, but I haven't seen them yet. Mostly about not pulling down other peoples' underwear, I suppose.
OK, the baby was asleep, but now she's crying, so I will go see what I can do.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Pictures - grinning boy and sleeping baby
We were over at DS2's best buddy's house the other day so the boys could play (DS1 was along and was in a stinker of a mood, so it wasn't all fun and games). Best buddy's mom is an amateur photographer. She complains because her pictures don't turn out as perfectly as she would like and is taking classes to improve, but I think she does a wonderful job! She wasn't very happy with the natural light for these, since it was a bit cloudy and we were on the wrong side of her house.
Thank you for these, M!
DS2 needs a trim. He has had it cut really short the last few times and then it starts growing out and it sticks out. But who cares? He's such a cute kid, his hair doesn't detract from his big, blue eyes. I might be a little biased.
DD, though, is mostly bald on top. There's not much on the sides, either, or I'd consider a comb-over for her. But she's so gorgeous. I might be a little biased about her, too.
M didn't get any pictures of DS1. I'll go see if I have some on my camera that haven't been posted yet.
Thank you for these, M!
DS2 needs a trim. He has had it cut really short the last few times and then it starts growing out and it sticks out. But who cares? He's such a cute kid, his hair doesn't detract from his big, blue eyes. I might be a little biased.
DD, though, is mostly bald on top. There's not much on the sides, either, or I'd consider a comb-over for her. But she's so gorgeous. I might be a little biased about her, too.
M didn't get any pictures of DS1. I'll go see if I have some on my camera that haven't been posted yet.
Friday, March 14, 2008
and the baby's feeling a bit better
She still had a few times during the night that her nose was so stuffy that she was straining and then coughing. She's been mostly clear today, though doesn't want me to leave her alone ever at all, as I mentioned in my other post.
Right. I'm going to plop her in a sling and go put some chicken in the oven.
Right. I'm going to plop her in a sling and go put some chicken in the oven.
Just sitting around
DD keeps falling asleep on my lap, but if I try to get her to fall sleep on my bed, she wakes up as soon as I try to get up. So I've been sitting in front of the computer, reading an e-book I bought on a whim a month or so ago and hadn't read yet because I'd much rather sit or lie down with a book in a comfortable place, not a desk chair. (Pretty good book. Not great, but OK.) I should have strapped her into a carrier and gone for a walk, but that takes energy and I am still very low on that - though regular walks would certainly help me get it back, I know.
All the boys went to San Francisco today. DS1's class had a field trip to the Exploratorium (science museum in SF, if you don't feel like following the link) and though it was still unclear if it would be an excused absence, DH took DS2 also - it was a half day for teacher conferences and spring break starts, so I don't imagine they did a whole lot of academic work in a kindergarten class today. I might be mistaken, since his class never seems to have the parties and fun stuff that other classes have. I was sort of expecting my family home by about now and figure they should be here in the next hour or so- if you don't get out of SF before about 3 PM, you get trapped in nasty traffic. I had sort of an uneasy feeling about this trip and almost called DH's cell phone at about lunch time, but decided not to. Maybe I should have. Because now I don't want to call while DH is driving.
But do I start dinner now or wait until I 1) see the whites of their eyes; and 2) find out if they ate on the way home?
I had hoped to make it to the library before it closed tonight. It might be open until 8; it seems that there are one or two days a week that it is, but more likely it closes at 6. I can go tomorrow, I know, but I have a truly scary number of books that are sitting on the hold shelf for me with about 10 more in transit, I've maxed out on requests (50), and I'm stuck with re-reading on this end. And yet here I am looking at the online catalog, trying to remember if I've read certain titles and if it would be worth it to cancel other requests that I haven't arrived yet to request these things. It's a sickness, I tell you.
All the boys went to San Francisco today. DS1's class had a field trip to the Exploratorium (science museum in SF, if you don't feel like following the link) and though it was still unclear if it would be an excused absence, DH took DS2 also - it was a half day for teacher conferences and spring break starts, so I don't imagine they did a whole lot of academic work in a kindergarten class today. I might be mistaken, since his class never seems to have the parties and fun stuff that other classes have. I was sort of expecting my family home by about now and figure they should be here in the next hour or so- if you don't get out of SF before about 3 PM, you get trapped in nasty traffic. I had sort of an uneasy feeling about this trip and almost called DH's cell phone at about lunch time, but decided not to. Maybe I should have. Because now I don't want to call while DH is driving.
But do I start dinner now or wait until I 1) see the whites of their eyes; and 2) find out if they ate on the way home?
I had hoped to make it to the library before it closed tonight. It might be open until 8; it seems that there are one or two days a week that it is, but more likely it closes at 6. I can go tomorrow, I know, but I have a truly scary number of books that are sitting on the hold shelf for me with about 10 more in transit, I've maxed out on requests (50), and I'm stuck with re-reading on this end. And yet here I am looking at the online catalog, trying to remember if I've read certain titles and if it would be worth it to cancel other requests that I haven't arrived yet to request these things. It's a sickness, I tell you.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Awwww baby's first head cold!
She mostly can breathe through her nose, which is lucky, because like most babies, it hasn't occurred to her to breathe through her mouth, plus she needs to nose breathe to breastfeed.
And why can't I spell "occurred" without the auto spell check prompting me?
Anyway, it's been mostly clear today, but last night from 1:30 to 4 am, it ended up taking saline nose drops and a great deal more patience than I thought myself capable of (luckily she doesn't understand and can't yet repeat awful swear words, so I'm gonna say those don't count against my patience score) to get us both back to sleep.
So when do I get to be sure that this is just a head cold and not bronchitis or RSV or whatever? This is where you start scratching your head and wondering if I really have had kids before.
My nose keeps going from completely stuffed to running and my voice keeps fading and I've had a sinus headache for a few days. I had chills and a mild fever last night, but am also dealing with a rather painful, lumpy right breast, so it might be mastitis, which is no better than a common cold. I had DD nurse from that side a lot last night and today, so though it's still sore, it's not so lumpy and no fever so far.
And I'm thinking of having DS2 tested for asthma. His colds almost always end up as a persistent cough. This time, it's a loud, barking, non-productive cough and in the mornings, he coughs so hard and so long that he ends up throwing up a little. He's been doing this for a week now. Everyone else in the family just has the snots.
But right now, Isabelle is draped on her side across the feeding pillow, her head reared back, her belly still pressed up against mine, a look of intense concentration furrowing her brow, little twitchy facial expressions fleeting, asleep.
Oh dear, too much typing next to her head. She seems to be waking.
And why can't I spell "occurred" without the auto spell check prompting me?
Anyway, it's been mostly clear today, but last night from 1:30 to 4 am, it ended up taking saline nose drops and a great deal more patience than I thought myself capable of (luckily she doesn't understand and can't yet repeat awful swear words, so I'm gonna say those don't count against my patience score) to get us both back to sleep.
So when do I get to be sure that this is just a head cold and not bronchitis or RSV or whatever? This is where you start scratching your head and wondering if I really have had kids before.
My nose keeps going from completely stuffed to running and my voice keeps fading and I've had a sinus headache for a few days. I had chills and a mild fever last night, but am also dealing with a rather painful, lumpy right breast, so it might be mastitis, which is no better than a common cold. I had DD nurse from that side a lot last night and today, so though it's still sore, it's not so lumpy and no fever so far.
And I'm thinking of having DS2 tested for asthma. His colds almost always end up as a persistent cough. This time, it's a loud, barking, non-productive cough and in the mornings, he coughs so hard and so long that he ends up throwing up a little. He's been doing this for a week now. Everyone else in the family just has the snots.
But right now, Isabelle is draped on her side across the feeding pillow, her head reared back, her belly still pressed up against mine, a look of intense concentration furrowing her brow, little twitchy facial expressions fleeting, asleep.
Oh dear, too much typing next to her head. She seems to be waking.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Enya part 3
The news is that she came through surgery well. This from my mom, who got it from my dad, who got it (and apparently no details or anything) from Jennifer.
So good news all around and many wishes for a quick recovery.
So good news all around and many wishes for a quick recovery.
And other stuff
Fun link, even if I don't know Dutch: http://producten.hema.nl/ Just sit and watch for a minute as it gets started :)
Another fun link: What I Will Do If I Am the Vampire. Also, related lists and comments on Smart Bitches. Yeah, I think we're burning out on vampire novels...
My mom's next door neighbor is due to have a baby at any minute now - with any luck there won't be a blizzard that day. The other karate mom is officially due in a week, but huge and uncomfortable and expecting the baby at any minute now - I got all excited when her dad showed up with her older daughter at karate yesterday, but she was at home resting.
And I got to show off DD at karate and talk to some other moms and dads - one of whom figures I'll be back in karate class in a month. Maybe, if it looks like DD will allow me to. The head teacher/manager of the school broke his toes while teaching and is hobbling around. So though I like the other teachers, we really miss Mr. G, who transferred to another school. DS2 is promoting to a big kid gold belt this Thursday. He has been in the "Little Samurai" class for nearly a year and has a white belt with a green stripe, so this mostly feels like a setback instead of a step forward, but I keep referring to it as a big kid belt and keep hoping that it helps - especially since there are a bunch of other former samurais in his class who are advancing with him.
Isabelle is still sleeping a lot. Not always when I'd like her to, of course. We had a rough night 2 nights ago and even last night was too interrupted up until about 1, but then she only woke once and briefly before waking up this morning. Then she was wide awake and I had to go to the chiropractor, so left her with Dh for about 45 minutes and it was a sad, sad thing with lots of noise, apparently. So when I got home I took her and fed her and she now has been conked out for a couple of hours.
And I am out of trashy books. I have a few more serious books, but no light, trashy reads. I have a Nora Roberts I bought and left in the car for when I am stuck somewhere, but DH has the car right now, so I don't even have that! It must be time for me to re-read something. I also just requested a huge quantity of romance novels from the library - Kleypas, Hern, and Howard because I've only read a couple of books by each and they weren't bad. Ringing endorsement there, faint praise indeed.
Much better than the historical novel I ended up - on a recommendation no less - within which the second son, who hadn't been trained to care for the huge family estate, inherited the land and the title when his brother died. Except the brother had a son, so I have absolutely NO idea why the author thought the son wouldn't inherit and the brother would, even though he was a minor at the time of his father's death. Probably the worst of it was that there were two novels in one book and the second was the heroine's sister from the first one and I swear that half of the second one was cut-and-pasted from the first (She was unfashionable and well-read, so they bought her some new clothes and taught her to flirt and all the men loved her! Though of course, it was mostly to make the man she was already in love with jealous! But then she (and her sister later) ran away back to her own estate because they thought it wasn't working after only about a week and having spent a fortune on new clothes! Then something traumatic happened and her truuuuue luuuuv saved her!). And yet, I was weirdly compelled to read to the end of both novels. I'm not exactly sprinting out to get more of Evelyn Richardson.
Huh. Going back to the Smart Bitches to find their A and B graded books. I need me some new authors.
Another fun link: What I Will Do If I Am the Vampire. Also, related lists and comments on Smart Bitches. Yeah, I think we're burning out on vampire novels...
My mom's next door neighbor is due to have a baby at any minute now - with any luck there won't be a blizzard that day. The other karate mom is officially due in a week, but huge and uncomfortable and expecting the baby at any minute now - I got all excited when her dad showed up with her older daughter at karate yesterday, but she was at home resting.
And I got to show off DD at karate and talk to some other moms and dads - one of whom figures I'll be back in karate class in a month. Maybe, if it looks like DD will allow me to. The head teacher/manager of the school broke his toes while teaching and is hobbling around. So though I like the other teachers, we really miss Mr. G, who transferred to another school. DS2 is promoting to a big kid gold belt this Thursday. He has been in the "Little Samurai" class for nearly a year and has a white belt with a green stripe, so this mostly feels like a setback instead of a step forward, but I keep referring to it as a big kid belt and keep hoping that it helps - especially since there are a bunch of other former samurais in his class who are advancing with him.
Isabelle is still sleeping a lot. Not always when I'd like her to, of course. We had a rough night 2 nights ago and even last night was too interrupted up until about 1, but then she only woke once and briefly before waking up this morning. Then she was wide awake and I had to go to the chiropractor, so left her with Dh for about 45 minutes and it was a sad, sad thing with lots of noise, apparently. So when I got home I took her and fed her and she now has been conked out for a couple of hours.
And I am out of trashy books. I have a few more serious books, but no light, trashy reads. I have a Nora Roberts I bought and left in the car for when I am stuck somewhere, but DH has the car right now, so I don't even have that! It must be time for me to re-read something. I also just requested a huge quantity of romance novels from the library - Kleypas, Hern, and Howard because I've only read a couple of books by each and they weren't bad. Ringing endorsement there, faint praise indeed.
Much better than the historical novel I ended up - on a recommendation no less - within which the second son, who hadn't been trained to care for the huge family estate, inherited the land and the title when his brother died. Except the brother had a son, so I have absolutely NO idea why the author thought the son wouldn't inherit and the brother would, even though he was a minor at the time of his father's death. Probably the worst of it was that there were two novels in one book and the second was the heroine's sister from the first one and I swear that half of the second one was cut-and-pasted from the first (She was unfashionable and well-read, so they bought her some new clothes and taught her to flirt and all the men loved her! Though of course, it was mostly to make the man she was already in love with jealous! But then she (and her sister later) ran away back to her own estate because they thought it wasn't working after only about a week and having spent a fortune on new clothes! Then something traumatic happened and her truuuuue luuuuv saved her!). And yet, I was weirdly compelled to read to the end of both novels. I'm not exactly sprinting out to get more of Evelyn Richardson.
Huh. Going back to the Smart Bitches to find their A and B graded books. I need me some new authors.
Enya again
She is either in recovery by now, or else back at home with no surgery. Jennifer emailed yesterday to say that Enya has what might be an eye infection and they were going to decide at whatever insane, uncivilized hour they had to go to the hospital if the surgery would take place today or have to be rescheduled.
Just waiting for news...
Just waiting for news...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
PICTURES - Baaaaad Mommy, lots of trains
Um, yes I know about SIDS. And I'm not sure how I managed to get the blanket on her head. She wasn't overheating and it didn't cover her face, so I don't feel too awful, really. And my lack of regrets shows truly how bad a mommy I am!
My oh my, yes, they do have a lot of trains. Usually, most of the game is about DS1 building the tracks. This one was about having one loooong train and trying to keep it from coming apart. I had to kick them out of the hallway while DD was sleeping because they were quarreling rather loudly. Besides, the trains don't hold together at all well when you run them on carpeting. And this was about 15 minutes after I had kicked them out of the hallway because they were running up and down shrieking. Our house is fairly big and it was a beautiful day, but that hallway was magnetic.
PICTURES - big kids and baby
DS1 building
DS2 practicing with his bike (the hill's a bit hard to get up). He tried without training wheels, but wanted them back before he had actually gone anywhere without them.
DH and DD supervising bike riding time. DH tends to hold the baby and follow me around as I try to get things done, so I had to kick him out of the house for a few minutes to watch the bike riding.
My beautiful kids
My two youngest beautiful kids. And yes, DD is looking for some milk. Sorry, five year old boys don't make milk. Though he has decided that DH could give the baby 'side' (his word that he chose for BF-ing when he was about 1 1/2 or 2, since by that age I would ask him if he wanted the other side) if he taped bottles to his chest. I think I need to find pictures of supplementary feeding systems to show that it is almost what some mothers do when they can't make enough milk (restarting BFing after stopping or BFing after breast reduction, etc).
Oh, and DD's pants are on backwards. We haven't had a girl before, so I guess DH doesn't recognize butt ruffles. The embroidery being on the back of her leg is the only thing that gave it away to me, actually, since I certainly don't wear butt ruffles, either.
Enya
Enya is a the 3 month old baby daughter of a friend. This friend was babysat by my mom from when she was a few months old until she could drive herself home from school (and even then she stopped by a lot) and is almost a sister to one of my sisters (but lucky thing got to go home at night), since they are only a couple of years apart in age, plus she graduated from high school the same year as my little brother.
Anyway, in one of the ultrasounds, they found that Enya had a mass in/on one of her lungs. I can't remember the scientific name for it, but it's a pre-cancerous thing, meaning that she would be just fine for months or years, but there is a likelihood that the mass could grow and spread at some unknown time in the future.
She's having surgery on March 11th and will have 1/3rd of one of her lungs removed.
So pray 'em if you've got 'em. Vibes, white light, hold into the light, or however you think good thoughts for anyone.
Anyway, in one of the ultrasounds, they found that Enya had a mass in/on one of her lungs. I can't remember the scientific name for it, but it's a pre-cancerous thing, meaning that she would be just fine for months or years, but there is a likelihood that the mass could grow and spread at some unknown time in the future.
She's having surgery on March 11th and will have 1/3rd of one of her lungs removed.
So pray 'em if you've got 'em. Vibes, white light, hold into the light, or however you think good thoughts for anyone.
baby poop, car seats, and security ramblings
Well, let's see.... Eat, sleep, poop. Eat, sleep, poop. Eat, sleep, poop. She's only 10 days old - sorry, 9 days now that I think about it - so that's pretty much it.
Yes, Mom, we need to take more pictures! Actually, let me check the camera, there might be a couple on there that I haven't uploaded - downloaded? - yet.
My lovely little baby poops about 10 times a day. I am only exaggerating slightly. My boys tended to save it up for one or two massive explosions a day, sometimes skipping a day. Of course, with tiny poops, you don't end up with the "knee-to-armpit jobbies" as an online friend's husband put it. The ones where you use a dozen baby wipes and finally just go give the kid a bath. But anyway, with the frequent poops, I change her even more frequently than I would have otherwise, which is good for her teeeeeny tiny bottom.
She's starting to fill in her skin again (and her thighs, which were the only parts of her that were even slightly chubby when she was born, poor thing taking after her mother), so she must be back up to her birth weight and probably more. I've got a lot of milk and she's drinking it all. Oooh I shouldn't have thought about it because she's been down for a nap for an hour and half and it's been longer than that since she had the right side. I wrote the other day that I was engorged but not leaking, but now I am leaking but not engorged. Like any of you really want to hear about my boobs, but hey, that's what's on my mind.
My ambitious plan for today is to go pick up my kids from school and show off the baby. Reminds me I need to mess with the car seat and figure out how it's going to work best. I'm thinking center back, since there's not really space behind either of the seats if I use the base and if I don't use the base, I have to unbuckle the whole thing even if I am not carrying her in the seat itself, because the belts go across above her. Oh drat (I'm really trying to stop swearing), DH has the car so I'll have to do that when he gets home. Well, I'll hope that Isabelle takes another nap that conveniently continues when we're in the car, but that she wakes up from without starting to screech about food right away. Yeah, it might be a lot to ask.
Since the rest of my family is DH, DS1, and DS2, I suppose I need to start writing DD (darling daughter) for the baby, right? It's not like I would be so hard to find if someone wanted to stalk me, but at least they couldn't lure my kids away by knowing their names, right? But I guess DH could fend for himself, even if he is the only family member to not know any karate.
And thinking of my mom (hey, look! new pictures! just need to boot up the PC....). Oh, what was I going to say? Oh yeah.
Congrats to my 3 yo nephew, Z, who didn't cry when he was dropped off at preschool. Big hugs to him.
And pretty low down in the message is Enya. Actually I'll write a new post for her, since she deserves much higher billing.
Yes, Mom, we need to take more pictures! Actually, let me check the camera, there might be a couple on there that I haven't uploaded - downloaded? - yet.
My lovely little baby poops about 10 times a day. I am only exaggerating slightly. My boys tended to save it up for one or two massive explosions a day, sometimes skipping a day. Of course, with tiny poops, you don't end up with the "knee-to-armpit jobbies" as an online friend's husband put it. The ones where you use a dozen baby wipes and finally just go give the kid a bath. But anyway, with the frequent poops, I change her even more frequently than I would have otherwise, which is good for her teeeeeny tiny bottom.
She's starting to fill in her skin again (and her thighs, which were the only parts of her that were even slightly chubby when she was born, poor thing taking after her mother), so she must be back up to her birth weight and probably more. I've got a lot of milk and she's drinking it all. Oooh I shouldn't have thought about it because she's been down for a nap for an hour and half and it's been longer than that since she had the right side. I wrote the other day that I was engorged but not leaking, but now I am leaking but not engorged. Like any of you really want to hear about my boobs, but hey, that's what's on my mind.
My ambitious plan for today is to go pick up my kids from school and show off the baby. Reminds me I need to mess with the car seat and figure out how it's going to work best. I'm thinking center back, since there's not really space behind either of the seats if I use the base and if I don't use the base, I have to unbuckle the whole thing even if I am not carrying her in the seat itself, because the belts go across above her. Oh drat (I'm really trying to stop swearing), DH has the car so I'll have to do that when he gets home. Well, I'll hope that Isabelle takes another nap that conveniently continues when we're in the car, but that she wakes up from without starting to screech about food right away. Yeah, it might be a lot to ask.
Since the rest of my family is DH, DS1, and DS2, I suppose I need to start writing DD (darling daughter) for the baby, right? It's not like I would be so hard to find if someone wanted to stalk me, but at least they couldn't lure my kids away by knowing their names, right? But I guess DH could fend for himself, even if he is the only family member to not know any karate.
And thinking of my mom (hey, look! new pictures! just need to boot up the PC....). Oh, what was I going to say? Oh yeah.
Congrats to my 3 yo nephew, Z, who didn't cry when he was dropped off at preschool. Big hugs to him.
And pretty low down in the message is Enya. Actually I'll write a new post for her, since she deserves much higher billing.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Stupid name for a pillow
But it is oh, so excellent. A friend (and mom of DS2's buddy at school) has given me a "My Brest Friend" nursing pillow. It has a back support and velcros around the waste. The baby table area is slightly contoured, but generally flat. Most of all, it fits on me. The Boppy pillow works fine, but is in the shade. I am told the boppy is excellent for tummy time and when the baby's learning to sit up, so it might have a longer future. For right now, with DD asleep on the baby table on my lap and not rolling toward or away from me so I can type with two hands, this one wins.
The midwives visited yesterday and HURT my baby! OK, so it was the heel-prick tests for phenylketoneuria and various other things and I am all for the testing, but still, trying to calm a crying baby as her leg is being milked for drops of blood is not much fun. The boys were cowering with their ears covered.
They also weighed her and she was up over 7 lbs again. 7 lbs 2 oz? Or 3? More than last time anyway. That is possibly slightly inaccurate, because the midwife had zeroed her scale - one of the ones where you hang the baby in a sling from the bottom and lift it up - and then DS1 was looking at it and pulling on it and completely ignoring me as usual when I don't mess with it. He gets so into things, totally focussed, and I have to get his attention and tell him that "don't mess with it" has become "put it down NOW."
Isabelle is apparently getting enough to drink now. She certainly leaks out of most diapers within a couple of hours. Change her, feed her, watch her sleep for a couple of hours and... dang time for a new outfit. I should have gotten more newborn-sized fitted diapers. But these newborn all-in-ones are so amazingly tiny and cute! I have a bunch of smalls, but those are big enough for her and 3 more tiny-bottomed babies. Now that her cord fell off (yes, already!), we can use them more, for protection all the way up to her armpits and down to her knees. Sort of the corset and pantaloons thing.
And her poop is getting yellow! Yay for breast milk baby poop! Now if she could organize her guts so that she only pooped a couple of times a day and made it really obvious so I don't have the surprise farticle in nearly every diaper and have to wonder how long that has been rubbing on her tiny hiney before I changed her....
Her skin's starting to peel off at crease points. It'll be sloughing off in sheets like a bad sunburn within a few days, if it's anything like with my other kids. That was a startling, scary thing with DS1. Maybe they mentioned it in the baby books, but I sure wasn't expecting it. Then the visiting midwife made it sound like something to worry about and why wasn't I dipping him in whatever greasy slime it was, etc. Between that and cradle cap, I decided pretty quickly that my babies would probably survive a bit of temporary cosmetic ick.
And the teeny-tiny baby clothes (here and here and here) that looked impossibly small when I made them? Of course they're too big. Well, they fit, but I have to roll up the sleeves and the legs for the tiger ones. She's wearing the psychedelic flower one right now. I don't have any clothes that go with it, so I put her in some pants that have a small pattern of oranges and flowers. Other than the colors which at least get close, the outfit doesn't rank too high. She'll be scarred for life, I know!
Well, she seems to be waking up a bit. Or maybe not. My behind aches from sitting for too long. It's the bones and ligaments still trying to figure out where to go to get back into place. Chiropractor visit for me tomorrow, though to be honest, he probably cares more about holding the baby. (Just kidding!)
The midwives visited yesterday and HURT my baby! OK, so it was the heel-prick tests for phenylketoneuria and various other things and I am all for the testing, but still, trying to calm a crying baby as her leg is being milked for drops of blood is not much fun. The boys were cowering with their ears covered.
They also weighed her and she was up over 7 lbs again. 7 lbs 2 oz? Or 3? More than last time anyway. That is possibly slightly inaccurate, because the midwife had zeroed her scale - one of the ones where you hang the baby in a sling from the bottom and lift it up - and then DS1 was looking at it and pulling on it and completely ignoring me as usual when I don't mess with it. He gets so into things, totally focussed, and I have to get his attention and tell him that "don't mess with it" has become "put it down NOW."
Isabelle is apparently getting enough to drink now. She certainly leaks out of most diapers within a couple of hours. Change her, feed her, watch her sleep for a couple of hours and... dang time for a new outfit. I should have gotten more newborn-sized fitted diapers. But these newborn all-in-ones are so amazingly tiny and cute! I have a bunch of smalls, but those are big enough for her and 3 more tiny-bottomed babies. Now that her cord fell off (yes, already!), we can use them more, for protection all the way up to her armpits and down to her knees. Sort of the corset and pantaloons thing.
And her poop is getting yellow! Yay for breast milk baby poop! Now if she could organize her guts so that she only pooped a couple of times a day and made it really obvious so I don't have the surprise farticle in nearly every diaper and have to wonder how long that has been rubbing on her tiny hiney before I changed her....
Her skin's starting to peel off at crease points. It'll be sloughing off in sheets like a bad sunburn within a few days, if it's anything like with my other kids. That was a startling, scary thing with DS1. Maybe they mentioned it in the baby books, but I sure wasn't expecting it. Then the visiting midwife made it sound like something to worry about and why wasn't I dipping him in whatever greasy slime it was, etc. Between that and cradle cap, I decided pretty quickly that my babies would probably survive a bit of temporary cosmetic ick.
And the teeny-tiny baby clothes (here and here and here) that looked impossibly small when I made them? Of course they're too big. Well, they fit, but I have to roll up the sleeves and the legs for the tiger ones. She's wearing the psychedelic flower one right now. I don't have any clothes that go with it, so I put her in some pants that have a small pattern of oranges and flowers. Other than the colors which at least get close, the outfit doesn't rank too high. She'll be scarred for life, I know!
Well, she seems to be waking up a bit. Or maybe not. My behind aches from sitting for too long. It's the bones and ligaments still trying to figure out where to go to get back into place. Chiropractor visit for me tomorrow, though to be honest, he probably cares more about holding the baby. (Just kidding!)
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Baby update - it's really not all about me?
Liza Lee is right; I haven't updated on the baby. So here I've cut and pasted and slightly edited a post I made on a bulletin board today:
Everything's going pretty well. My milk has come in but, strangely, isn't leaking all over the place. I have a big hard patch on my right breast that I keep trying to massage out. (and I need to say that these are the biggest boobs I have ever had - I was measured at a C a month or so ago and dang they're huge. If only my belly would shrink down smaller than they are....)
Isabelle is having meconium poops about 8 times a day. Yesterday evening, I changed a big one, she had another as soon as I got her clothes on, and then she let out a little one as soon as the diaper was changed again, luckily when DH was holding her. Sigh. She's also wetting quite thoroughly and even leaked out of her overnight dipe. Well, DH put on a swaddlebees AIO with only the built-in pad, no extra padding.
As of yesterday morning, when my milk had come in overnight, she was down to 6 lbs 15 oz from her start at 7 lbs 8 oz. She'll be weighed again tomorrow when the midwives come to do the heel-prick testing and to bring all the papers and stuff we'll need for the birth certificate. The way she's been eating, I think she'll be gaining weight like crazy.
I am amazed at how much she sleeps. I try to nap, but end up reading most of the time. I mean, sleep when the baby sleeps, but when she's asleep 22 hours a day, it's a bit much ;)
She has a couple of awake and alert times a day and is always amazed as her big brothers flash past or their faces suddenly loom 3 inches from hers. They're ready for her to be able to play with them.
My two big kids are a bit on edge. DS1 (8 years old) is grumpy and extra bossy and pushing the limits of rules. For example, he's not supposed to wake his brother up on the weekend and we've been over it a million times and yet this morning, he went straight in there. They started playing something, but within 15 minutes, they were arguing (DS1 being demanding and calling DS2 names) and he pulled all the sheets and blankets off of DS2's bed and kicked him and DS2 called him a stupidhead and they were both crying. He's been waking up earlier than usual, too, which doesn't help anyone's mood. DS2 (5 1/2 year old) has been cranky and weepy and whiny and it's "no fair".
Everything's going pretty well. My milk has come in but, strangely, isn't leaking all over the place. I have a big hard patch on my right breast that I keep trying to massage out. (and I need to say that these are the biggest boobs I have ever had - I was measured at a C a month or so ago and dang they're huge. If only my belly would shrink down smaller than they are....)
Isabelle is having meconium poops about 8 times a day. Yesterday evening, I changed a big one, she had another as soon as I got her clothes on, and then she let out a little one as soon as the diaper was changed again, luckily when DH was holding her. Sigh. She's also wetting quite thoroughly and even leaked out of her overnight dipe. Well, DH put on a swaddlebees AIO with only the built-in pad, no extra padding.
As of yesterday morning, when my milk had come in overnight, she was down to 6 lbs 15 oz from her start at 7 lbs 8 oz. She'll be weighed again tomorrow when the midwives come to do the heel-prick testing and to bring all the papers and stuff we'll need for the birth certificate. The way she's been eating, I think she'll be gaining weight like crazy.
I am amazed at how much she sleeps. I try to nap, but end up reading most of the time. I mean, sleep when the baby sleeps, but when she's asleep 22 hours a day, it's a bit much ;)
She has a couple of awake and alert times a day and is always amazed as her big brothers flash past or their faces suddenly loom 3 inches from hers. They're ready for her to be able to play with them.
My two big kids are a bit on edge. DS1 (8 years old) is grumpy and extra bossy and pushing the limits of rules. For example, he's not supposed to wake his brother up on the weekend and we've been over it a million times and yet this morning, he went straight in there. They started playing something, but within 15 minutes, they were arguing (DS1 being demanding and calling DS2 names) and he pulled all the sheets and blankets off of DS2's bed and kicked him and DS2 called him a stupidhead and they were both crying. He's been waking up earlier than usual, too, which doesn't help anyone's mood. DS2 (5 1/2 year old) has been cranky and weepy and whiny and it's "no fair".
wine and stinky cheese
I finally found our corkscrew a couple of days ago and had a glass of wine with my dinner both that night and last night (they brought a bottle with the salmon, etc the other night).
I'm sitting here eating brie and crackers.
I could really use some sushi - though I did eat that a couple of times during pregnancy (shame! shame!)
mmmmm forbidden foods.
I'm sitting here eating brie and crackers.
I could really use some sushi - though I did eat that a couple of times during pregnancy (shame! shame!)
mmmmm forbidden foods.
Well, that was smart
So four or whatever days postpartum. The racking afterpains have eased off to be only really-bad-period strength. My jelly belly is solidifying so I only look about 5 months pregnant. I'm getting so I can get up and move slowly around the house and sit around for over an hour before lying down to rest.
We even had an outing on Thursday! I was testing out the car seat (leans too far forward and is going to need a towel or something under it so the baby isn't dangling from the straps, poor love) and we went a whole mile up the road and I bought 1.5 yards of birdseye diaper fabric and then went and got a couple of things from the grocery. And then, boy, was I beat.
So what did I do this morning?
I had the bright idea to weigh myself.
Have you seen that emailed joke with ways to get ready to have kids (take a herd of goats to the store, dress an angry octopus, etc)? There's one that says to strap on a bag of beans and after 9 months, remove 10% of the beans.
SIGH
Oh, and my nipples are sore and have a couple of little scabs. Too much information for most of you, but yeesh, you'd think on my 3rd kid, I'd get it down faster. But it has been 5 1/2 years since I nursed a newborn and heck, she'd never done it before at all.
We even had an outing on Thursday! I was testing out the car seat (leans too far forward and is going to need a towel or something under it so the baby isn't dangling from the straps, poor love) and we went a whole mile up the road and I bought 1.5 yards of birdseye diaper fabric and then went and got a couple of things from the grocery. And then, boy, was I beat.
So what did I do this morning?
I had the bright idea to weigh myself.
Have you seen that emailed joke with ways to get ready to have kids (take a herd of goats to the store, dress an angry octopus, etc)? There's one that says to strap on a bag of beans and after 9 months, remove 10% of the beans.
SIGH
Oh, and my nipples are sore and have a couple of little scabs. Too much information for most of you, but yeesh, you'd think on my 3rd kid, I'd get it down faster. But it has been 5 1/2 years since I nursed a newborn and heck, she'd never done it before at all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)